Dying Is the Easy Part
by alexandersgirl
Summary: With the Quarter Quell just a few months a way life is normal for Katniss and Cato. Soon it is thrown into turmoil when the reaping doesn't go as Katniss planned and she must accept she knows nothing about the plans Cato has for the revolution. He has it all laid out but what happens when it doesn't go as planned? They must band together and have Hope. Sequel to A Kiss Before Dying
1. Marry You

Disclaimer: I don't own and all that jazz.

It's a beautiful night,

We're looking for something dumb to do.

Hey baby,

I think I wanna marry you.

Is it the look in your eyes,

Or is it this dancing juice?

Who cares baby,

I think I wanna marry you.

Well I know this little chapel on the boulevard we can go oh oh oh,

No one will know oh oh oh,

Oh, come on, girl.

Who cares if we're trashed got a pocket full of cash we can blow oh oh oh,

Shots of patron,

And it's on, girl.

Don't say no, no, no, no-no;

Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah;

And we'll go, go, go, go-go.

If you're ready, like I'm ready

**Marry You by Bruno Mars**

**Katniss**

I stood in the bedroom looking in the mirror. In a few short weeks I would be a mom. I was scared as I stared at my rounded belly in the mirror. Everyone was watching me like a hawk these days. From my mom's calculations I was at thirty seven weeks today.

It had been a long hard road to get to this place of peace but I knew it would be short lived. Soon we would face the reaping again. It being the Quarter Quell we all knew it would be different. Facing the reaping as a parent would be a different experience for me. Even though I knew the baby wouldn't be old enough to be eligible I was scared. I never wanted my child to face a reaping. I never wanted to face the reaping as a parent and know I would have to send my child to be killed in the arena. I wanted to be free of this burden.

I knew all about Cato's plans for a revolution. I still had not been let in on all the details though. He was having secret meetings with people from other districts and setting plans in motion. He said it was because he didn't want to put any extra stress on me, but I knew there was something he wasn't telling me.

I dressed in the dress Cinna had laid out for me on the bed. The prep team had already been in to do my hair and makeup. This was our last appearance in front of everyone before the announcement of the Quarter Quell. Since announcing my pregnancy on our last stop of the victory tour in district 12 they had been a monthly thing. At first it was about how I was feeling and now they had become a way for all of Panem to gawk and gush over how big I was.

I met Cato in the living room and we walked out hand in hand. The camera was already there waiting for us. Cato seemed weird. He was fidgeting and nervous. He was always a natural in front of the camera. It was so out of character for him. As the camera started rolling all I could think of was, what was wrong with Cato?

The sun was shining behind us casting a warm glow on us. It was almost too hot out here for this. All I wanted was to have this over with so I could lay down and sleep. All the commotion of the day was exhausting for me. I wasn't listening at first to what Caesar was saying. Then I turned to look at Cato.

He was down on one knee in front of me. Tears sprang to my eyes as I watched him, our eyes locked on each other. I knew all of Panem was watching us, but at the moment nothing else mattered. I noticed the tears in Cato's eyes too. He never showed his emotions like this.

"Katniss, will you marry me?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Well now that was something no one was expecting," Caesar said.

Three days later, on a sunny morning, we stood in the justice building about to say I do. In a few minute I would be someone's wife. I was so nervous. I stood there and looked at my family that had come with us. My mother didn't look pleased but she never did when she looked at me these days. Prim smiled at me. She liked Cato. He had been a big brother to her. They had been spending a lot of time together in the past few months. I was glad they were getting along. I loved them both so much.

I went through the emotions of the day. So afraid something bad was looming over our heads. It seemed like I was always waiting for bad things. Things had been going so well lately. Things in my life didn't go good. I always had bad luck.

Then once we were pronounced man and wife my water broke. Cato and I both stared down at the wet spot on the floor. As a contraction hit me almost simultaneously I panicked. I grabbed Cato and doubled over from the pain that shot through my stomach and into my back. My back had been aching all day but I thought nothing of it.

Cato scooped me up and carried me back to the house. My mom and Prim running to keep up with him. At the house Cato held me while my mom prepared the bed. She didn't seem to be as panicked as I was. She was so calm as she worked.

As soon as my mom told him to Cato laid me down on the bed and sat beside me. When more contractions came he told me how proud he was of me and how much he loved me. He rubbed my back and helped me breath like my mom had taught us.

My mom came over a few hours later and said she needed to check me. For a while she had left us alone, but I was feeling the urge to push. She said this was because I was close.

I screamed when I started pushing, "I am never doing this again!"

It hurt like hell. I screamed again as I pushed. Then I heard it, a baby crying in the distance. It sounded far away. Like I was dreaming or something. I wasn't sure why it sounded so distant. I felt strange. It was like this was happening to someone else and not me.

"Katniss it's a girl," my mom said. "Do you want to hold her?"

I nodded and took the baby from my mom. I was nervous at first but instinct took over as I held her. I wasn't sure I could love something so much. She was perfect. I knew right then that the revolution had to work. We had to do this for her and her generation. I never wanted another child or parent to go through what we had for so many years. It was time for a change. Time for a little hope.

"So what are we going to name her?" Cato asked, stroking her head of blond hair.

"Hope," I replied. "She is our Hope."


	2. I Am the Warrior

As a child you would wait, and watch from far away  
>But you always knew that you'd be<br>the one to work while they all play.  
>In youth, you'd lay<br>awake at night and scheme  
>Of all the things that you would change,<br>but it was just a dream.

Here we are don't turn away, now  
>We are the Warriors that built this town.<br>Here we are don't turn away, now  
>We are the Warriors that built this town from dust.<p>

The time will come when you'll have to rise  
>Above the best and prove yourself<br>Your spirit never dies.  
>Farewell, I've gone to take my throne above<br>But don't weep for me,  
>cause this will be the labor of my love<p>

Warrior~ Imagine Dragons

**Prim**

I stood in the shadows and waited. From my position I could see Cato standing against the wall by the small basement window. He and Gale had been training me for six months now. At first I was skeptical about this and really scared to even do the things Cato wanted. They were hard and I was so tired after our sessions I wanted to quit. He never let me and now I was glad he didn't let me quit.

I took a deep breath and exhaled. I slowed my breathing so I couldn't be hard. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds around me. I could hear Cato breathing steadily. A pan banged in the kitchen and I heard the gas of the stove come on. I was focused and poised to attack the minute he was in my sights. Although he was trying to be super quiet I heard him descend the stairs. One by one I counted them. I knew exactly how many steps he would take until he reached the bottom.

He had no idea where I was or when I would pounce. He looked nervous when he passed me. Even though he was twice my size he knew I could take him down. I had done it before. I got the impression I frightened him. I think I was starting to scare both him and Cato with how quickly I had been able to learn to overtake them.

He looked right at the place I was hiding and didn't see me in the shadow. As soon as he turned his back I jumped him. I pressed the knife in my hand to his neck. He managed to flip it so I was in front of him knocking the knife to the floor. He went in for a punch, and I blocked him. He threw several other punches I blocked pretty easily. I threw a punch catching him off guard and heard his nose crack. I kicked him in the chest knocking him to the floor next to the knife. I had knocked the wind out of him. I ran to him before he could get up or grab the knife and stood on his hand putting all my weight on them.

He bucked and struggled to get up with no success. He was not able to get me off his hands in order to get up completely. I bent down pinning his arms at the elbows with my knees and pressing my body in to his chest causing him to gasp for breathe. At the same time I put the knife to his neck.

"Okay, I'm done," Gale said, breathlessly.

"Sorry about the nose," I said, knowing as soon as it came out it was a mistake. I knew Cato was going to say something about the sorry I had told Gale.

I got up off Gale and watched him gulping for air. The blood was still streaming from his nose. The front of his shirt was covered in blood. I noticed a nick on his neck from pressing the knife to his neck too hard. Then I turned and looked at Cato.

He had a disapproving look on his face. I thought I had done well, but I knew what the look was about. I braced myself for the tongue lashing that was coming.

"That was excellent up until the minute you apologized. Never apologize! It can and will be used against you and is seen as a sign of weakness," Cato yelled in his drill sergeant voice.

"Yes, sir," I said, standing up straight and not looking him in the eyes.

At first the no eye contact during training bothered me and didn't help my concentration at all. I wanted to look him in the eyes so he knew I was listening and absorbing everything he was teaching me. Now I understand it was assign of respect and I was glad for it. It preventing him from seeing the fear in my eyes and the tears in the beginning.

"Now run and get your mom so she can doctor Gale up," Cato dismissed me.

Cato laughed at Gale still laying on the floor out of breath and as I left I heard Gale tell him to shut the hell up. I smiled as I left them to argue.

A few minutes later my mom and I returned. She had everything she needed hidden in the basement so Katniss wouldn't know. We had had a hard time at first explaining all my injuries to her and then explaining Cato and Gale's when I started hurting them. Now she just pretended like she didn't see when one of us was hurt. She knew we were lying to her and hiding something but she put all her energy into Hope. Leaving us plenty of time to train. I had a feeling Gale and I got the brunt of Cato's frustrations.

"I just want to say again how much I don't like this," mom said as she worked on Gale.

Besides the obvious broken nose, Gale had a broken wrist from where I had stood on it. I had bruised some of his ribs from sitting on him. It wasn't the first time I had hurt him and Cato. As I got stronger my injuries began less and less and theirs became more serious.

"One day this is going to go too far and one of you will be seriously hurt," mom said, looking at all of us. "It worries me more than you know and scares the hell out of me."

We watched her finish up with Gale in silence and head up the stairs.

Later that evening we gathered in the living room for President Snow's address to all of Panem about the Quarter Quell.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the 75th year...of the Hunger Games," he began. "It was written in the charter of the games that every twenty-five years there will be a Quarter Quell. Now, on this the 75th anniversary of our defeat of the rebellion we celebrate the third Quarter Quell."

The crowd cheered like the loved everything he was saying, but in our living room you could hear nothing but silence. You could have cut the tension with a knife it was so thick. We knew that this would be no ordinary reaping but nothing could prepare us for what he said next.

"As a reminder, that even the strongest cannot overcome the power of the Capitol. On this, the third Quarter Quell game, the male and female tributes are to be reaped from the existing pool of Victors and their families in each district. All victors must return to the district they were born in for the reaping."

Katniss stared openmouthed and got up to leave the room. I though was prepared for this and knew what I had to do when reaping day came. This is what the past six months had been leading up to. A moment of fear took over me, but I pushed it down. Now was not the time to be afraid. It was the time to step up and be the warrior I was trained to be. The time to save those I loved. I wondered though if I could actually go through with it.

**A/N: okay here we are up to the Quarter Quell announcement. A lot of this will be from Prim's point of view. Since she is one of the primary characters, but there is always room for Katniss and Cato. I like there being more than on point of view. That being said what do you think of bad ass Prim? Is she as prepared as they think she is? What will happen next? **


	3. Let It Go

Don't let them in, don't let them see  
>Be the good girl you always had to be<br>Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know  
>Well now they know<p>

Let it go, let it go  
>Can't hold it back anymore<br>Let it go, let it go  
>Turn my back and slam the door<br>And here I stand  
>And here I'll stay<br>Let it go, let it go  
>The cold never bothered me anyway<p>

It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small  
>And the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all<br>Up here in the cold thin air I finally can breathe  
>I know I left a life behind but I'm too relieved to grieve<p>

Demi Lovato ~ Let It Go

**KATNISS**

The next day after the reaping selection broadcast I found myself at Haymitch's door. I didn't knock I just walked in like I owned the place. I had no doubt he would be passed out somewhere anyway. I prepared myself to have to dump water on him to wake him. As I rounded the corner toward the kitchen I heard a familiar voice.

"What do you mean you're worried about her? You know the plan," Cato said.

"Yes I do but you're putting her in harm's way, and I don't think its going to work," Haymitch argued.

"Of course it will work. Have some faith in me," Cato assured him. "She's ready."

I made my appearance known by walking into the kitchen. I wasn't sure who or what they were talking about. I had known Cato, Gale and even Prim were hiding something from me. Now I was sure Haymitch was in on it too.

"Well hello sweetheart," Haymitch said. "How long have you been here?"

I stared at him and then looked towards Cato. "Apparently not long enough to know who you're talking about."

I watched as he looked at Cato strangely. Then I noticed the suitcase at Haymitch's feet. He never went anywhere much less somewhere that would require a suitcase. My first thought was it was probably stocked with a secret liquor stash. I smiled. Leave it to Haymitch to stash liquor in a suitcase.

"Going somewhere?" I asked out of curiosity, pointing to the suitcase.

"To the capital, I'm the new gamekeeper sweetheart," Haymitch replied.

I was taken aback by his words. I would have never figured Haymitch to sell out and join the capital's games. He had to be up to something to agree to that. But what still perplexed me. I regretted at that moment my decision to stay out of all Cato's revolution plans I had been so busy with Hope it had been easy to let the plans go on without me.

"But you're the only male winner from here and you have no family. Where will the reap the male tributes from?" I was confused. Those were the rules: there was to be one male and one female tribute from each district.

"Gale and his family will be in the tribute pool as well as you and your family," Haymitch replied.

Oh God! I let that sink in. I had put all of them in danger. Gale had thought he had gotten out of being tribute since last year was his last year to be in the games. Now because of me he was going to be put in to the situation again.

I couldn't take any more of this conversation. I had to get out of here and hug my daughter tightly. I might not have many more chances to do so the way things were going.

**PRIM**

Reaping day arrived all too soon. Once again the pricked my finger along with Katniss, my mom and Gale and his mother and two brothers. I hated seeing one of his small brothers in the games. At just 10 years old I doubt Vick would even stand a chance in hell. I knew though Gale would never let that happen.

So as we stood in front of Effie Trinket once more my heart was beating double time in my chest. I was scared. I knew what I had to do and I would do it. I had to let my fears go and be the good girl I was trained to be. I would have to not let my fears control me and slam the door leaving this life behind. It was a life I might not come back from. So as the Panem speech played I mental said goodbye to everyone.

My mom who had taught me to be a good healer and brought me into this world. She had come back from her depression after dad died a stronger person. I would miss the talks about medicine and how to be a good healer.

Katniss who had been not only my sister but my mom in so many ways. She had taken care of us. It was Katniss who made sure we had food on the table and sacrificed herself for me in this very spot last year.

My niece Hope who was the reason I was doing this in the first place. I wanted a better life for her. I wanted none of this for her. She deserved a better life than this. After all was said and done she would hopefully never have to worry about reapings and the games in her lifetime or her children's lifetime.

"So first the girls," Effie said, sticking her hand in the bowl with only four names in it.

She looked sad as she read the name, "Katniss Everdeen."

Katniss walked towards the stage escorted by two peacekeepers. I swallowed hard and looked at my mom. She looked away from me towards the ground. I saw the tears roll down her face and fall to the dirt making a small puddle of mud. For a split second I second guessed my decision, seeing her cry broke my heart.

"And now for the boys," Effie said stirring the bowl with three names in it.

"Vick Hawthorne," she read from the slip of paper.

My heart sank again. Gale would be forced to volunteer too. He couldn't let Vick go to the arena.

"Are there any volunteers?" Effie asked.

I looked at Gale and gained my strength. I had to do this. Hope needed Katniss and I needed to stop all of this. I knew Gale and Cato would be by my side all the way to the end.

"I volunteer as tribute," both Gale and I said, at the same time.


End file.
